Professional Career Time Line

By Stu Levy & Ed Podell,
Co-Chairmen, Philadelphia Section, IEEE

Today is the first day of the rest of your career! Are you drifting along, letting random events or others determine your career path? Are you bored, stagnating? Do you feel ill-prepared to compete in our changing world?

YES? Then it’s time today to take charge of your career...because how you plan and manage your career will determine whether it is exciting, challenging, and growing — or dull, routine, and uncertain.

To help you set your goals, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA) Career Enhancement Committee created this Professional Career Time Line. It supplies a checklist of helpful actions for assuring greater success during every phase of your career.

The Time Line begins two years prior to your college graduation and continues through your retirement. It suggests measures you should take through each phase of your career to keep it vibrant. Please reflect on each phase, set your goals, and frequently re-evaluate yourself to keep your career plan current.

Throughout Your Career

• Assess yourself to define specific goals. Periodically check, reassess, extend, or modify goals.
• Keep your resume current.
• Remain active in a professional society that represents your discipline, such as the IEEE
• Establish and maintain professional contacts.
• Write, publish, and present your own work at technical meetings.
• Stay abreast of new developments in your field by subscribing to appropriate periodicals, attending workshops and seminars, and traveling to international and national conferences when feasible.
• Pursue additional formal education and on-the-job training to remain competitive in an increasingly complex work world.
• Maintain an appropriate balance among family, career, community, and recreation.
• Manage money wisely and make intelligent purchases. Periodically seek professional advice about financial planning matters.
• Sustain good physical and mental fitness.
• Enhance organizational and interpersonal skills, including communication, interviewing, and networking.
• Remain adaptable to all changes (technological, social, etc.) implemented in the world of work.

Six stages in your career time line follow. Start wherever you are: student to retiree.

1. Completing College

College Junior to Graduation
Career Phase: Student
Typical Age: 20-22

Take advantage of co-op opportunities and internships. Work while in school in a career-related field.

• Participate in an IEEE Student Paper Competition to learn how to prepare and present technical papers.
• Decide on graduate school, or seek employment after graduation.
• Prepare your resume.
• Research potential employers in your chosen field.
• Develop tentative goals. Make career-path decisions (e.g. industry vs. government vs. R&D vs. design vs. manufacturing vs. teaching etc.).
• Prepare for the FE (EIT) Exam. Take it during your senior year.
• Make a realistic and valid first-job choice based upon your career interests.

2. First Job

Grad. to 3 Yrs in Work Force
Career Phase: New Engineer/Scientist in Training
Typical Age: 22-25

Upgrade from IEEE Student Member to Member.

• Adjust to routines of the work environment.
• Apply textbook knowledge to real life situations.
• Learn the company ropes. Become an effective contributor to the team.
• Learn to perform under pressure. Accomplish tasks effectively and on time.
• Obtain advanced degree (technical discipline or MBA).
• Start preparing for the state professional engineering license, if available, in your field of discipline.
• Develop a mentor or sponsor relationship.
• Enhance your technical competency. Subscribe to periodicals, technical journals, etc.
• Present papers on your work (participate in local mini-symposia, national young professional paper sessions, etc.)

3. Early Career

3 Yrs to 10 Yrs in Work Force
Career Phase: Young Professional
Typical Age: 25-32

Focus on your technical specialty, or move toward being a generalist.

• Continue developing technical skills and credentials.
• Gain exposure to management and other disciplines.
• Review your options. Consider changing your career, job, employer, etc.). Make enhancements to your progress.
• Seek out and accept higher levels of responsibility. Learn to make effective decisions.
• Keep up-to-date on advancements in your discipline.
• Obtain state engineering license.
• Assume a leadership role at the local, regional, or national level of the IEEE.
• Apply for membership on an IEEE technical committee.
• Begin preparing for a senior leadership role.
• Transition from being reactive to proactive in your career decisions.
• Continue upgrading your leadership role in the IEEE.
• Consider after-hours graduate programs in your specialty.

4. Mid-Career

10 Yrs to 22 Yrs in Work Force
Career Phase: Senior Professional (Technical or Supervisory)
Typical Age: 32-52

Make career path decision; i.e., remain in a technical area or move into management.

• Stay technically up-to-date in your chosen specialty.
• If moving into management, hone your management and human resources skills.
• Apply for full leadership role on an IEEE technical committee.
• Continue to take on additional areas of responsibility or assignments.
• Apply for Senior Member in the IEEE.
• Become a mentor or sponsor.
• Achieve national recognition. Assume professional leadership roles.
• Continue upgrading your leadership role in the IEEE.
• Begin retirement planning.

5. Late Career

22 Yrs to 40 Yrs in Work Force
Career Phase: Recognized Expert
Typical Age: 52-Retirement

Continue professional leadership progression by obtaining assignments (or jobs) with increasing responsibility and authority.

• Stay technically up-to-date.
• Continue mentoring and providing guidance to younger professionals.
• Represent your organization outside the workplace. Achieve national or international recognition.
• Diversify your skills or develop hobbies that could lead to a second career or added income upon retirement.
• Teach at a college or university, or start your own consulting practice.
• Continue retirement planning.

6. Retirement

40+ Yrs in Work Force Career
Phase: Expert Emeritus
Typical Age: 60+

Implement your retirement plans.

• Replace required compulsory activity with desired leisure wants.
• Consider opportunities for part-time work, consulting, or a second career.
• Use accumulated experience and wisdom on behalf of others in various senior roles.
• Make meaningful use of your time.
• Find new sources of professional and personal satisfaction.
• Remain active in the IEEE: maintain professional contacts.
• Tutor precollege students in math, science, or engineering.

This Time Line is a product of the AIAA Career Enhancement Committee. It is the compilation of information and experiences of individual members. The information is intended as general guidelines for technical professionals, and should be tailored to individual situations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the AIAA or the IEEE.

Return to the Table of Contents